The Roederer Cristal is one of the greatest and most sought-after champagnes ever. In 1876, Louis Roederer created his own champagne for the Russian tsar: the Cristal. This label has one of the longest histories of ultra-premium champagne bottlings.
The basis is, among other things, Grand Cru sites that Louis Roederer bought in the middle of the 19th century. When other champagne houses only bought wines from winemakers, Roederer took the production from the vineyard to the final bottling into his own hands. That was revolutionary back then.
Champagne Roederer is one of the few large champagne houses that is still family-owned today. Frédéric Rouzaud is the seventh generation and descendant of Louis Roederer. Today the house owns 240 hectares of vines, exclusively in Grand Cru and Premier Cru locations.
The excellent champagne vintage 2014 resulted in a Cristal with the best balance between maturity and freshness. It comes from 39 different locations, of which only the best grapes were used. 60% is Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, one third each from vineyards in La Rivière, Montagne and La Côte. The classic Cristal grape variety cuvée, as with its two predecessors. A third of the base wines come from wooden barrels.
The crystal-clear scent of the 2014 Roederer Cristal is reminiscent of candied citrus fruits and almonds. Very subtle and at the same time aromatically complex. The purity and precision on the palate is impressive. An eternally long finish with wonderful freshness and the best balance, in which the aromas of ripe yellow fruit and the elegance of the chalk floors are present.
Roederer himself comments on the 2014 Cristal: "Cristal 2014 is the result of a long time. It is already a masterpiece: its youth offers itself to be enjoyed and with patience we await an enviable maturity that will further emphasize its complexity ."
The press is again enthusiastic about the 2014 vintage, Parker's Wine Advocate is 96/100, Antonio Galloni from Vinous.com is 98/100 and Falstaff magazine is even 99/100.< /p>
| Optimal drinking |
now to 2040+ |
| Analytical Data |
12.5% ABV; 7 g/L dosage |
| Ageing |
32% of base wines in wooden barrels. Then bottle fermentation. |
| Grape varieties |
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay |
| Reviews |
96/100 Parker's Wine Advocate, 98/100 Vinous.com, 99/100 Falstaff (all for 2014 vintage) |
| Closure |
Natural cork |
| Type |
dry sparkling wine |
Bottler: Champagne Louis Roederer S.A. 21, Boulevard Lundy 51100 REIMS - France
Produced in France - contains sulphites
